Split sleeve bearing



June 24, 1958 K. L. HOWELL 2,840,425

SPLIT SLEEVE BEARING Filed Jan. '7, 1954 INVENTOR film Er Z. A on iaz ATTORN E Unit ate a ent v rur tr EA Kenneth-"L; Howell; WestPal'iii Beach, Fla.

Application January 7, 1954, Serial No. 402,649

2 Claims, (CL SUB-27) My invention relates to shaft hangers and bearings, and more particularly to hangers and bearings for use in connection with the propeller shafts of boats.

Where propeller shafts pass through the bottom of a boat it is usually necessary to support the end of the shaft near the propeller in a hanger bearing secured to the keel or other part of the boat. Thus nearly all motor boats today are provided with struts and bearings to support the after end of the shaft. Since such bearings are supported beneath the surface of the water they cannot readily be lubricated except by the water which enters the bearing.

For manyyears these bearings have been lined with rope type packing of flax to support the shaft and at the same time prevent rattling or knocking. Such packing, excellent while new, is subject to wear and has to be replaced frequently.

With the constructions heretofore employed this has been difl'icult as it usually requires the pulling of the shaft and the removal of the packing by the aid of hooks or other tools. This operation entails a considerable expenditure of time and labor.

The primary object of the present invention is to overcome this difliculty by providing a hanger and bearing so constructed as firmly to hold its packing about the propeller shaft, but which can quickly and easily be disassembled without disturbing the propeller-shaft or strut of the hanger. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereafter.

An illustrated embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of the stern of a boat having one embodiment of my invention applied thereto. Figure 2 is a similar view showing a shaft and bearing parts in position for renewal of the flax packing. Figure 3 is an enlarged side view of the bearing and hanger with parts broken away to show the flax packing and other details of construction. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, a portion of a motor boats stern and bottom 2 is indicated as having a rudder 4, a propeller 6 and a propeller shaft 8. The shaft extends rearwardly through the bottom 10 of the boat. For support adjacent the propeller a hanger bearing is provided comprising a strut 12 and a tubular journal sleeve 14 which is divided longitudinally to form a top half 16 integral with or suitablysupported by the strut 12, and a separable bottom half 18. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that the upper part of the strut 12 is formed as a flange 20 for securing the hanger to the boat bottom by means of bolts or screws 22. Surrounding the shaft 8, within the journal sleeve there is provided a suitable flax rope-type packing 24 of a wettable character such as is commonly used in boat bear ings where oil lubrication is not practicable. This packing is wound spirally about the shaft within the space 26 surrounding the shaft, the shaft being of appreciably r. Patented June24, 1958 lesser diameter than the interior of the split journal sleeve 14.

The journal sleeve 14 and its packing are held in position about the shaft by. providing its two halves 16, 18 at their ends with matching threaded necks 28 adapted to receive gland collars Sit-having internal threads 32 to registerwithandtightenupon the. threaded necks of the split bearing when the two halves of the latter are brought into proper position. In orderreadily to determine the proper position of the halves, one or more dowel pins 34 may be provided. Seated within each gland collar is an annular washer 36 of rubber or other suitable material to keep out dirt and to engage the ends of the spiral length of packing and which, when the gland collars are tightened, hold the packing securely in place. This action is facilitated when the overall length of the packing coil is somewhat greater than the length of the split sleeve. The gland collars 30 may be held in place by set screws 38.

Since water may penetrate freely to the interior space between the shaft and the sleeve it will be understood that no other lubricant is necessary, and that if.proper packing is used the shaft will be supported in a manner to prevent rattling or pounding; further, the split hearing makes it a simple matter to change or renew the a permit the bottom half of the sleeve to be removed and the shaft dropped out of the way far enough to permit a new length. of packing to be wound around it until the,

required amount is in place, after which shaft and bottom bearing half are lifted into place, the collars engaged with the threaded necks of the split sleeve, turned to a tight position against the packing washers and the set screws brought to their set positions.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the objects of the invention set forth above are attained in a simple and practical manner; that the construction readily provides for quick change of packing with a minimum expenditure of time and labor and that the whole bearing structure can be economically produced and installed.

While the hanger strut is herein shown with a flange adapted for attachment to the bottom of the boat, it will be understood that the strut and bearing could be designed to permit attachment to the vertical face of the design of the associated parts to hold the halves of the split sleeve together. And other variations of form could be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A self-lubricating ship propeller-shaft hearing assembly which can be disengaged from the shaft without axial sliding or movement of shaft relative to hearing, said bearing assembly comprising a shaft, a first longitudinally split-in-half tubular member encircling a portion of said shaft, a fixed supporting strut attached to said member, a second split-in-half tubular member mating with the first and enclosing an annular packing space around said shaft, said members being completely separable from each other from around said shaft without axial movement relative to said shaft, at least one comslidable alongsaid shaft and engaging a commonend of said members to hold them in shaft encircling relation,

and a strand of self-lubricating packing material wound in a spiral aiopnd said shaft 'in said packing space and held closely around said shaft in said space by compression of said cap. '1

2. The combipationof elements as in claim 1 in further combiilation with a pin engaged throughsaid cap to rotatively lock it onto thc end of said member.

References in the file of this patent v UNITED STATES PATENTS 77,261 Crane Apr. 28, 1868 

